


Scream Without Raising Your Voice

by bbluejoseph



Series: The Joshua Tree [1]
Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Angst, Dissociation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Nightmares, Past Rape/Non-con, no graphic descriptions, this shit hurted :), tyler has a nightmare and josh comforts him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-09-29
Packaged: 2020-10-20 04:17:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20669204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bbluejoseph/pseuds/bbluejoseph
Summary: It was so real that he wasn’t sure it was over.





	Scream Without Raising Your Voice

**Author's Note:**

> A testament to the power of nightmares, and the comfort of having someone remind you of what’s real and what isn’t. Title from Running To Stand Still. Takes place soon after the end of bio

Tyler woke to an arm cast around his waist, a face pressed into his neck. 

The darkness of his nightmare was gone, replaced by the dim light of the fire outside, slipping through the cracks of the tent. Tyler knew he must be awake, but what if that was just another trick? 

The body next to his shuffled, sighed, arm tightening slightly, and he panicked. Hurriedly, he pushed at the figure, freeing himself from the blankets and scrambling to the other side of the tent. His heart hammering, Tyler pressed his back into the corner, knees pulled to his chest to protect himself. 

The figure made a muffled grunt, and sat up from the blankets. Their curls were flat on one side from sleeping on them. “Tyler?”

Josh’s voice. Half of him wanted to rush into the arms of his love, but the other half won out, and he stayed still as a statue in the corner.

“Ty, are you there?” Josh’s voice was less raspy now, more worried, and he was looking over the tent, as if he couldn’t see him. He probably couldn't; it was still dark and he was wedged pretty tightly into the corner of the tent.

His vocal cords didn’t want to work; they were just as afraid as the rest of him. Still, Tyler swallowed dryly and managed a cracked “Here.”

Josh turned to see him, and Tyler could see his shoulders relax a little. He pushed the blankets of their bed aside and crawled over to where Tyler was, keeping a few feet of distance between them. “Nightmare?”

Tyler’s heart clenched, and he lifted one arm to bite his hand to keep from crying. He nodded once. 

He’d always had nightmares, but the aftermath was different in Trench. In Dema, he had laid awake for hours, frozen still, unable to shut his eyes in case Nico came for him. Here, he woke up with Josh next to him, and the sudden contact could frighten him. His nightmares seemed to linger on into the waking world.

There had been darkness, so much darkness. He hadn’t been able to see, but he knew what was happening. The pain was so vivid, so horrible, and the effect it had on his mind was unbearable. He could almost taste the fear on his tongue, could feel the echoes of the agony in his bones.

It was so real that he wasn’t sure it was over.

Josh’s voice was careful, quiet. “Was it him?”

Tyler bit down harder on his hand, nodding rapidly.

“Okay. Okay.” Josh clenched his fists, and even in the half dark Tyler could see the anger in his eyes; it wasn’t directed at him. The bandito smoothed his palms on his jeans. “Tell me what I can do.”

He didn’t want to stop biting his hand, but he had to so he could sign. ‘I feel like I’m still there.’

“It’s over. It’s over, I promise. You’ll never have to go through it again.” Josh lowered his voice again, softening its tone to a soothing level. “He’s dead.”

He’s dead. He’s dead. Tyler repeated this in his head, several times. Nico is dead.

Finally, he let himself shut his eyes, and signed again. ‘Tell me what’s real.’

Josh sat down to be more on Tyler’s level, giving him a moment before speaking. “Your name is Tyler. You used to be in the city, but you’re not anymore. You’ve been in Trench for three weeks. He’s been dead for three weeks.”

He sucked in a shaky breath, let it rattle in his lungs, nodding at Josh to go on.

“You’re in the bandito camp. You’re a bandito, you have been as long as I’ve known you.” Josh paused. “I’m Josh, and I love you.”

Tyler’s heart ached, and he finally took his hand out of his mouth. Josh opened his arms just as Tyler surged forward, and he fell into them.

He pressed his face into Josh’s shirt, smelling of sleep and sweat. Carefully, his love guided them both back to the blankets, tucking them around them as Tyler started to calm down.

“Do you need anything else?” He asked gently, smoothing the hair off of Tyler’s forehead.

He shook his head, pressed his face into Josh’s collarbone. He still didn’t trust his surroundings, the darkness, but Tyler trusted Josh. Josh was safe, and Tyler clung to him.

They stayed that way until the sun rose, slowly filling the tent with more and more light. Josh stroked Tyler’s hair silently, to remind him he was still there.

“I love you too,” Tyler whispered. 

Josh rubbed his shoulder, pressed a soft kiss to his temple. “I know.”


End file.
